On Wednesday, (October 1st, 2008) around one hundred people gathered in Bolívar Hall in London to attend the launching of the English language edition of Alan Woods' latest book, Reformism or Revolution - A Reply to Heinz Dieterich. The event was organised by Hands Off Venezuela and Wellred, the Marxist Publishing House. Comrade Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, chaired the meeting and introduced the two speakers, Samuel Moncada, Venezuelan Ambassador and Alan Woods himself.
Moncada: Alan's book an important contribution to the debate on socialism
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| Rob Sewell introducing the two speakers |
The opening remarks of Samuel Moncada drew the audience's attention to the role of the Venezuelan Revolution in reopening a worldwide debate on the alternative to capitalism, on socialism. The fall of what the Ambassador called "the Stalinist model" in the Eastern bloc was welcomed by the world bourgeoisie and its ideologues as "the end of history", but the subsequent failure of the capitalist system in delivering the promised new era of peace and prosperity has revived the search for a socialist alternative. This is particularly clear now, with the ongoing world crisis of capitalism.
The ambassador pointed out the irony of the fact that "Chávez was called a Communist for having nationalised a bank a few months ago, but now George W. Bush is prepared to nationalise much more than one bank!" This provoked laughter among the audience. He then went on to explain that the difference with these nationalisations is that they are accepted because "they are carried out in the interests of the wealthy, while the nationalisations in Venezuela have a social content." The ambassador then added that, after decades, the US Navy's Fourth Fleet is back in the Caribbean Sea "because the imperialists consider the Venezuela Revolution as a threat to the system they defend."
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| Samuel Moncada Venezuela's ambassador to the UK |
He raised an important point when he said that, "Everybody knows about the massacre in Tiananmen square in 1989, but in the very same year another horrifying slaughter took place in Caracas - a bloodbath the mass media did not bother informing you about. Hundreds of people were massacred, up to 3000 of them, by the Venezuelan Fourth Republic during the repression of the Caracazo, the mass movement that attempted to stop the neo-liberal package of ‘reforms' dictated by the International Monetary Fund."
Ambassador Moncada said that the Caracazo was the first signal that announced a new wave of struggles against neo-liberalism in Latin America, adding that, "the Bolivarian Republic is now a platform for open debate on the future of the revolution, not only in Venezuela but on a world scale." He explained that, "Alan Woods' point of view in Venezuela is highly respected also because he has always consistently supported the revolutionary process and defended its conquests, not just in words but in deeds as well. His book has to be welcomed as an important contribution by all those who want to work together for social progress and against inequality and exploitation."
Marx is back!
Alan Woods then delivered his speech. He was introduced as the leader of the International Marxist Tendency and a founding member of the international Hands Off Venezuela campaign. Alan told the audience that when he was in Margarita Island with President Chávez, the latter stated in one of his speeches that "Marx is back". The words "Marx is back" are appearing more and more in mainstream newspapers and TV programmes. Alan explained that, "This crisis is something the Marxists predicted years ago. During the boom, many used to laugh at those arguments, but now the bankruptcy of capitalism is being exposed on a daily basis, and who's laughing now?"
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| Alan Woods |
He stressed the point that, "1.2 billion people are hungry, 8 million die of starvation every year, and yet this is absolutely unnecessary. For the first time in history, there are enough productive forces on the planet to feed every single human being and give them a dignified existence and a high standard of life. The only reason why this does not happen is because of the domination of the so-called ‘free market economy', with its well known consequences: exploitation, inequality, economic anarchy. How can there be nothing wrong in all this? No wonder Marxism is back in fashion again." Alan then appealed to the audience exclaiming: "Comrades, this is our time! What a wonderful time to be alive - the time when capitalism is revealing its terminal decay!"
Heinz Dieterich the reformist
Alan's book is in the form of a reply to Heinz Dieterich, a reformist academic in Mexico who claims to be the "inventor" of "Socialism of the 21st Century", something which he claims to be "new". But there is nothing new at all in his writings. Dieterich in reality presents a completely reformist and anti-Marxist outlook. Reformism or Revolution, in polemicising against Heinz Dieterich, is a restatement of the basic ideas of Marxism.
Alan objected to the claim that
Dieterich's ideas are new. He proves in his book that Dieterich
simply recycles primitive ideas of the Utopian Socialists, prejudices
from the prehistory of the movement that were answered long ago by
Marx and Engels. Alan pointed out that in essence Dieterich's
thinking can be reduced to two essential points: 1) "21st-Century
Socialism" is to be achieved very slowly, gradualist, without any
turbulent revolutionary act and 2) it is to be attained without
expropriating the capitalists and landlords.
Alan said that if we really want to defend the Venezuelan Revolution, what we need is precisely the opposite approach. No ruling class has ever peacefully surrendered its privileges. Class struggle "is not a game of cricket", said Alan. Rules, laws, democratic principles and gentlemen's agreements are worth nothing when the rulers feel that their privileges and authority are in danger. Heinz Dieterich somehow believes that socialism can be introduced while preserving a role for private capitalists. All that is needed is that they be "convinced" to give up their profits. In the real world, the only realistic position is the expropriation of the land and means of production of the super-rich 2% whose property is the key to the planning of the whole national economy.
A revolutionary mood
A lively debate ensued with 15 people speaking, there not being time for more, which revealed that there is an ever-increasing interest in Marxist ideas. As capitalism worldwide enters into a deep crisis, the ideas of genuine socialism are alive and well.
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Several interventions stressed the need to arm the people. On the question of what can people do here in Europe to help the Venezuelan revolution, the Ambassador said that the best thing young people can do to help the revolution is to fight for socialism here. Alan added that the threats to Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador do not come only from the United States but also from British and other European imperialists, therefore there is a lot to do here too, and this is why the Hands Off Venezuela campaign has been set up.
One HOV comrade raised the question of Bolivia, asking what was Alan's opinion about the attempt of Evo Morales to open up a dialogue or negotiation with the Fascist opposition. Alan replied that negotiation with the right wing is a dangerous illusion, and what is needed in Bolivia as in Venezuela is the expropriation of the big capitalists and landlords and the organisation of the masses to crush the counter-revolution.
In answering a question about Simon Bolívar, Alan explained that he was a revolutionary of his times, but that was before the time of the working class, of scientific socialism. But he did have a wonderful idea, the concrete idea of unifying the whole of South America, and he devoted his life to this aim. 200 years of Latin American history have proved that his idea needs to be amended on one point: we struggle for the unity of the whole of Latin America but in the form of a Socialist Federation of Latin America and the Caribbean.
At the end of the discussion many of those attending came down to the bookstalls and bought copies of the book, with Alan signing many personally. Around forty copies of Reformism or Revolution were sold - a very good start for the distribution of this important work in Britain!
Alan Woods' speech
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